Such a ball-and-socket joint has been known from DE 41,02,863 C1 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,373). According to this patent, the joint ball of a ball pin is mounted in a bearing shell made of plastic. A housing, which accommodates this bearing shell and is closed by a cover on one side, and from which the ball pin exits on the side opposite the cover, is connected to an outer bushing via an elastomeric layer. The outer bushing is used to mount the ball-and-socket joint in the motor vehicle part. The elastomeric layer is adhesively connected to the housing and to the outer bushing. Furthermore, the joint has a movable flange, which is fixed together with the cover on the housing. This movable flange, which is provided with an elastomeric coating on its radial outer surfaces, limits the radial path of the bearing. According to this document, the ball-and-socket joint can be completely closed by an outer cover. This outer cover is fixed on a radially extending flange of the outer bushing by deformation of the material of the outer bushing.
Such a ball-and-socket joint, which has a dimension larger than specified, is pressed into a mounting bushing of the corresponding motor vehicle part, which bushing has a dimension smaller than specified, and is in contact with the radial flange of the outer bushing on the motor vehicle part. Such a joint is secured axially only via the snug fit in the motor vehicle part. Axial securing is not always guaranteed during continuous operation.